Getting braver

It's great - the more time I spend with them, the braver they are getting.

Ginger is really funny. He literally comes running when he hears the rustle of the treat packaging! I managed to encourage him out of the cage and he enjoyed running around the outside and up and down the bars.

Bessie May

This is Bessie May, or Bessie for short.

She's absolutely gorgeous.

I've got them!

It's the hottest day of the year, not a cloud in the sky. While the rest of the population is outside basking in the sun, I am enjoying sitting beside a cage talking nonsense to get five rats used to the sound of my voice!

I collected them from Emma this afternoon. She has loads at the moment, a mixture of colours and varieties.

My five are really lovely. I wasn't expecting four of them to have red eyes but I actually don't mind. After a very short while, I think you see past their eyes and focus on their personalities.

Observations so far:

They're still a bit wary of coming out to play so I'm letting them settle into their new surroundings and get used to me.

Ginger - LOVES dog biscuits and his Ryvita box. Took a while to pluck up the courage to venture into the bottom half of the cage. Did a little bit of pea-fishing.

Bessie May - Has a lovely nature. Is the bravest of the bunch. Very curious. Was the first to fish for peas and the first to discover the hammock.

3 babies - I haven't seen as much of them as the others. They like the Ryvita box. I'm not sure how they all squeeze in there with Ginger! Need to think of names for them. Probably Willow and then two similar names for the twins - who are so similar I can't tell them apart!

A slight setback...

Not a major setback. More like a disappointment really.

Emma from Furry Friends called me this morning to say she's not in a position to have me visit and meet my babies today :(

Also, she told me that the Husky is pregnant and therefore I won't really be able to rehome her. Shame.

I've arranged to go and see them all next Sunday and, in the meantime, Emma has promised to send me some photos of my future brood.

So looks now as though I'll have four - a neutered male, an agouti mum and two of her babies. That sounds perfect to me!

Potential names...

I know it's hard to name a pet without seeing it first but tonight I made a list of some potential names that I like in the hope that some of them will 'fit' the rats I hope to rehome.

My current list reads:

'Varley' for the boy

'Bessie May' for his Husky female companion

'Willow' for the mother of the babies

'Pixie' and 'Mabel' for the two babies

I'm going to think about these over the next few days and see if they suit the rats when I meet them on Saturday. I'll take my camera with me and post pics.

Furry Friends

Yesterday, I contacted Emma at Furry Friends to see if she had any rats for rehoming. She did!

She told me of a mum (light agouti) with several babies (cinnamon and cinammon hooded) and a recently neutered boy called Ginger and his husky female companion.

I am going to meet Emma on Saturday, with a view to rehoming the neutered boy and husky companion, the mum and two babies. I can't wait to see them all.

Presuming they are all still available, there will be a slight delay to bringing them home due to a wait to see if the husky is pregnant and the delivery of my SRS which is not happening until 8 June.

If it's meant to be, it will be.

In the meantime, I'd better get myself organised with food, accessories, toys and bedding, plus I want to think of some potential names. Lots to do!

An idea takes shape...

I love rats. Always have done, always will. Simples.

I've kept pet rats on and off since I was about 12, possibly younger. I much prefer them to hamsters and other small rodents on account of their intelligence and their ability to play and have fun with.

A couple of months ago, I made the decision to rehome some rescue rats. I converted my second bedroom into The Rat Snug for them and this blog is their story.